Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1887-08-13
CHAPTER WI.
ALpHoNsE EXPLAINS.

And SO the fight was ended. On turning
from this shocking scene 1t suddenly struck
me that had seen nothing Of Alpholse since
the moment, some twenty minutes before
for though this fight has taken a long while
to describe, it did not take long in reality
when / had been forced to hit him in tho
wind with the result of nearly getting myself
shot Fearing that the poor little man had
persisted in the battle, began to hunt about
among the dead for his body; but not bein.
able either to see or hear anything Of it, I
concluded that he must have survived airl
walked down the side 81 the kraal where Wa
had first taken our stand, calling him by
name Now, some fifteen PAGES back from
the lSraal wall stood a very ancient tree OF
the banyan species. SO ancient was il shat
all the inside had in the course of ages de-
cayed away, leaving nothing but a shell OF
bark
"Alphonsels / called, as walked down the
wail-"Alphonseln
@Oui, monsieur" answered voice. "IIerc
anil
/ looked round, but could see nobody.
"Whercs' l cried
"Here am /, monsieur, in the tree
/ looked, andShere, peering out Of hole
In the trunk of the banyan about five feet
from the ground, saw a pale face and a. pair
Of large mustaches, one clipped short and the
other as lamentably out of curl as the tad OF
newly whipped pug. Then, for the first
time, realized what had suspected before
namely, that Alphonse was an arrant
coward. | walked up to him. "Come out
of that hole" / said.
"Is it finished, monsieurf" he asked, anx-
iously; quite finishedf All, the horrors |
have undergone, and the prayers have
utteredln
ACome out, you little skunk" ! said, for I
did not feel amiable; ut is all over.n
$50 monsieur, then my prayers have pre-
vailed. emerge;" and he did.
Thoroughly disguised, left Alphonse TO
look after himself, which he did by following
me like shadow, and proceeded to. join the
others by the large entrance. The first thing
that saw was Mackenzie, seated ON n stone,
with a handkerchief twisted round his thigh,
from which lie was bleeding freely, having
indeed received a spear thrust that passed
right through it, and still holding in his hand
his favorite carving knife; now bent nearly
double, from which / gathered that he had
been successful in his rough and tumble with
the Elmoran.
"Ah, Quatermain" he s.as out, In trem-
bling, excited voice, $50 we have conquered;
but it is sorry sight, a sorry sightp and
then, breaking into broad Scotch, and glano
ing at the bent knife In his hand, "lt flashes
me sair to haze bent my best carver on the
breastbane OF a savage" and he laughed
Historically. Poor fellowi what between his
wound and the killing excitement he had
undergone, his nerves were much shaken,
and no wonder. 1t is hard upon man OF
peace and kindly heart to be called upon 10
Join in such a grewsome business. But there,
fate puts us sometimes into very ironical
postionsl
At the kraal entrance the scene was a
strange one. The slaughter was over by now,
and the wounded men had been put out OF
their pain. for no quarter bod been given.
The bush closed entrance had been tiatnpied
fiat, and in place of bushes it was iiHed with
the bodies of dead men. Dead men, every
where dend men; they lay about IN knots,
they were flung by ones and twos IN every
position upon the open spaces, for all the
world like the people on the grass in one OF
the London parks on particularly hot Sun
day in August In front OF this entrance, on
a space which had been cleared Of dead, and
of the shields and spears which We're scattered
thrown from the hands of their owners, stood
and lay the survivors OF the awful struggle,
and at their feet were four wounded men.
We had gone into the fight thirty strong,
and of the thirty but fifteen remained alive,
and five of them Including Mr.. Mackenzie
were wounded, two mortally. OF those who
held the entrance, Curtis and the Zulu alone
remained. Good had lost five men killed,
IL attl q
five out of the six with him As for the sur
vivors. they were, with the exception Of my
self. who had never come to close quarters,
red from head TO foot--Sir Henry's aI1nor
might have been painted that eolor--and
utterly exhausted, except Umslopogaas, who,
as he stood on a little mound above heap of
dead. leaning as usual upon his AK, did not
seem particularly distressed although the
skin over the hole in his head palpitated VIC
lently.
sab Macuma2ahnl" he said to me as
limpcd up, feeling very sick, Il told thee that
it wou,d be good fight, and II las. Never
have | seen II better, OF one more braveiy
fought As for this iron SHIFT, surely % -
'tagatr (bewitchedl; "nothing could pierce IT,
Had it not been for the garment | should
have been there" and he nodded toward Tie
great pile OF dead men beneath him.
II give it tlee; thou an a gaiiant man,
said Sir Henry, briefly
"Koos.7 answered the Zulu, deeply pleased
both 1T the gift and tue compliment Thou,
too, Incubu, didst bear thyseif a. q mali. but
must give thee some lessons with the AK;
thou dost waste thy sEregtn.n
Just then Mackenzie asked about Fioasie-
and we sase all greatly relieved wien one OF
the men SAID he had seen her flying towards
the house with her nurse Then bearing such
Of the wonaied rs could be moved at the me-
ment with US, We slowly nlaile our way to-
wards the mission house, spent with toll and
bloodshed, bu5 with the glorious sense OF vie
tory against overwhelming odas glowing IN
our hearts. We had savei the lie OF the
little maid and taught the Aasai Of those
parts lesson that they VIII not forget for
ten years, but at what a cost.
M. f,ffl